This invention relates generally to cylinder locks, and more particularly to a programmable cylinder lock that controls changing of the lock configuration, including incidental of accidental configuration changes.
Pin and tumbler locks are known that can operate with one of a set of user keys, and can be reconfigured without disassembling the lock, as disclosed in US patent Publication 2004-0221630, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The lock shows a changeable lock assembly with a plug that rotates within a housing, with a series of pins and tumbler, that when aligned at the interface between the plug and the housing, permit rotation of the plug to lock and unlock a latch or catch. One or more change balls are included in the one or more pin chambers, which can move between the pin chamber and the blind hole formed in the side of the plug, to configure the lock with different keys of a set of user keys, depending upon the configuration of the one or more change balls in either the pin chamber or the blind hole.
With this lock, a phenomenon known as incidental keying can occur. In one circumstance of incidental keying, a user key that operates the lock may be used wherein, while being rotated, the key is being pulled axially in the key removal direction, which can cause a raised contour position in an adjacent pin chamber to incidentally or accidentally raise a change ball up into a change member and then into a corresponding retainer cavity when the plug is rotated to the user position. In another circumstance, an unauthorized user key can have a particular pin position with a contour cut that is slightly higher than that of the authorized user key, so that the unauthorized user key with the slightly higher contour height can incidentally or accidentally cause the change ball to be lifted out of the pin chamber and trapped in the driver chamber as the plug begins to rotate to the second rotated or programming position. When the plug arrives at the change position, the change ball is driven down into the retainer cavity, causing incidental or accidental re-keying, because now the lock will not operate with the original authorized user key.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a lock, and particularly a lock that permits rapid programming of the tumbler pins or other pins to a different configuration to operate with a different user key, without disassembling the lock or re-pinning (exchanging) the tumbler pins, which reduces or eliminates incidental or accidental re-keying of the lock.